1 . Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

Romantic Attraction

Sometimes, it seems we are attracted towards people romantically in a puzzling manner. We see someone and our romantic side bursts out. However, it is not a mystery to science and people who study sociology. There are definite causes as to why people become romantically attracted to each other. These factors are, similarity, communication, and honesty.

Though people often say opposites attract, similarity often connects individuals in a romantic way. In fact, based on research done by the University of Colorado Boulder, we tend to choose partners who have a similar DNA to ours. Of course we cannot examine the DNA of others readily, but we can naturally “feel” if people are a genetic match for us.

Communication is another essential factor in the romantic attraction way. If we feel a deep connection to someone through the ease of talking with them, we are much more likely to be attracted to that person. It is difficult to be romantically involved with someone you can barely communicate with. And as a side note, there are people we are not attracted to each other in appearance, but after communicating with them for some time, we suddenly become romantically interested in them.

Friends often connect through noticing the honesty of others, but this also lends to romantic attraction. According to Kelly Campbell, PhD, “Chemistry occurs most often between people who are down-to-earth and sincere. This is because if a person is comfortable with themselves, they are better able to express their true self to the world, which makes it easier to get to know them, even if perspectives on important matters differed”. This adds to the perspective that easy communication between people contributes to romantic attraction.

2 . Transhumanism, first coined in 1957 by biologist Julian Huxley, meant “man remaining man, but going beyond himself by realizing new possibilities of and for his human nature.” Generally speaking, transhumanism in its modern meaning implies that human beings can be enhanced by the means of science to the extent when they rise above biological limitations and capabilities programmed by nature. The species into which humanity transforms this way will be called post human, or trans human, as it would have been something new — based on human nature, but going beyond it at the same time.

There are numerous areas which, according to transhumanists, require enhancement, as well as there are countless proposals on the means of such enhancement. In particular, transhumanists work on such problems as overcoming the physical boundaries of the human body. Starting with aging, which they believe to be rather a disease than a natural process, and ending up with replacing organs with their artificial ones, transhumanists believe that the human body is imperfect, and that it should be improved. All kinds of nanotechnologies for repairing damaged organs; nerve stimulants and drugs to alter mood and eliminate negative emotions; brain implants and implanted technologies to allow interconnectivity between multiple human beings and to advance intelligence—these and many more actions are just some of the means transhumanists plan to use to make humanity better. Some of the technologies transhumanists plan to employ to push the boundaries of humanity are available already. For example, gene therapy allowing to cure or stop certain diseases that were considered terminal; CRISPRi or SHARP-2 methods, which were discovered not so long ago, have already proved to be efficient in treating a number of complicated medical conditions, and in case further research is conducted, they might significantly improve the quality of medicine worldwide. Virtual reality, another technology from science-fiction movies of the late 1980s, has become not so virtual either, after all. VR device can be easily purchased from online stores, and the prices are affordable — given that we are speaking of technology capable of substituting actual reality. So far, it has been mostly used for games and education, but in the future, the range of its useful applications will definitely broaden. Other technologies, which have not yet been invented but which definitely will, include large scale engineering, self-copying robotics, artificial intelligence, mind uploading technologies, molecular manufacturing, space colonization, and other technological wonders.

About a hundred years ago, the idea of flying in the skies seemed absurd, until Wilbur and Orville Wright proved this assumption wrong. Who knows, perhaps in a couple of decades the concepts listed here, no matter how fantastic they look now, will become reality. Moral aspects and the price humanity will have to pay for such advancements are a different subject.

1. Which of the following statements is true about transhumanism?

A．Promoting human health but remaining their physical appearances

B．Improving the human condition through social and cultural change

C．Developing human beings beyond their natural capabilities by technology.

D．Going beyond human beings physical limitations through natural evolution.

2. Transhumanists’ plan is based on the belief that_________.

A．replacing organs with their artificial ones is ideal

B．aging is rather a disease than a natural process

C．it’s practical to use nanotechnologies to improve life

D．the human body is imperfect and needs improvement

3. The underlined word “absurd” (last paragraph) is closest in meaning to_________.

A．ridiculous

B．creative

C．reasonable

D．practical

4. This passage is particularly written about_________.

A．various kinds of definitions of transhumanism

B．different technologies substituting human reality

C．proposals on the human beings enhancement

D．artificial intelligence and human beings life

3 . Why You Should Not Worry About Procrastination

Perhaps every person on Earth has at least once been in a situation when he or she has an urgent task to do, but instead of challenging it head on, he or she postpones working on this task for as long as possible. This delay can take various forms: from doing nothing, to doing a lot of work–just not the work that should be done. The phenomenon described here is called procrastination, and its roots go much deeper than mere laziness.

    1    . They invent dozens of strategies how to stop procrastinating and increase their efficiency, forgetting about the fact that like many other psychological mechanisms, procrastination serves its own purpose, and probably even carries a message worth decoding. So, instead of blaming yourself for being lazy, the next time you procrastinate, try to look past it, and figure out what is happening to you. Most likely, procrastination is your friend. Why?

There are several arguments proving this statement. First of all, it helps you figure out your most pressing priorities. Usually, you will not procrastinate over some minor task such as sharpening a pencil or drinking a glass of water. Problems start when there is something important or difficult that needs to be done. Reasons keeping you from doing work can be different, but here is a clue to remember: try to figure out what exactly makes you avoid–as a rule, it should be exactly what your top priority task is at the moment.     2    . On the other hand, procrastination may serve you as an indicator that you are doing something wrong, or that you are pushing yourself too hard and need to take some time to rest. Either way, the means you use to overcome procrastination is a different story; so far, try seeing procrastination as a marker, an index–and you will discover that it can be quite useful.

Surprisingly enough, procrastination can even help you fix a relationship with another person. If you had a fight, for example, there is a period of time when whatever you say to each other will most likely be perceived with skepticism or even hostility.     3    . In this case, procrastination may give you enough time to make up your mind, find your courage, and think of the proper words or actions for an apology. The same works for another person: after a cool down period, he or she will be more susceptible to what you have to say. Use this to your advantage.

As we can see, procrastination is not necessarily a bad thing.     4    . But it is rather a psychological instrument, the main function of which is to slow you down and give you enough time to sort out your priorities, gather information before making an important decision, or finding proper words to make your amends with another person. Thus, instead of avoiding and denying procrastination, you might want to embrace it–at least sometimes.examly.cn

A．Besides, you might have noticed how unwilling you may be when having to apologize in front of a different person–even if it was you who were wrong.

B．This varies depending on the weight of a decision that needs to be made.

C．Unlike many people got used to believing, procrastination is not a negative feature of character such as laziness.

D．Usually, people tend to see procrastination as something bad.

E．In fact, procrastinating in this case is also beneficial.

F．A pressing matter, an urgent document that needs to be written by the end of the day, an especially difficult piece of work, whatever.

4 . While people who are both trustworthy and capable are the most sought after when it comes to team assembly, friendliness and trustworthiness are often more important factors than ability.

“We assume that people are_________for important task forces and teams because of the knowledge, skills and abilities they bring to the table. However, this research suggests that people may often get picked because team members feel_________with them,” said Cynthia Maupin, assistant professor of organizational behavior and leadership in Binghamton University’s School of Management. “People may be willing to_________a bit in terms of performance in order to have a really positive team experience.”

Maupin and her colleagues focused on a group of MBA students to conduct their study. Students were_________ assigned to teams at the beginning of the semester to work on class projects and assignments. Toward the end of the semester, students were asked to form their own teams and _________why they selected each member of their group.

“We wanted to find out what people did to_________ to others that they might be someone who would be good to team up with in the future,” Maupin said.

The researchers_________looked at how students signaled their human capital, the ability to do their tasks well, and their social capital, the_________to which they were friendly and trustworthy, to other students by studying their use of either challenging or supportive voice:

●Challenging voice: Communicating in a way that challenges the present circumstances and is _________new ideas and efficiency.

●Supportive voice: Communicating in a way that __________ social ties and trust, and builds friendly unity of a team.

The researchers found that people who__________both abilities, through the use of challenging voice, and trustworthiness, through the use of supportive voice, were the most in-demand people when it came to__________teams.

“As might be expected, anyone who was very strong in terms of signaling both their human and social capital were extremely sought after. They’re doing all the right things to__________that they’re both trustworthy and a good worker,” Maupin said.

However, the researchers found that students who only exhibited social capital through__________voice were more sought after than those who only signaled their ability through the use of challenging voice.

“Our findings suggest that when people feel like they can trust you, even if you’re not__________ the best worker, they’re going to be more likely to want to work with you,” Maupin said. “They know that there are likely to be fewer interpersonal issues in that case.”

1.

A．qualified

B．selected

C．examined

D．accounted

2.

A．dissatisfied

B．favourite

C．permanent

D．comfortable

3.

A．sacrifice

B．exchange

C．prohibit

D．contribute

4.

A．deliberately

B．originally

C．randomly

D．purposefully

5.

A．bargain

B．assess

C．negotiate

D．neglect

6.

A．signal

B．contribute

C．devote

D．manage

7.

A．indefinitely

B．frequently

C．considerably

D．specifically

8.

A．occasion

B．mission

C．degree

D．opinion

9.

A．engaged in

B．focused on

C．gotten across

D．taken off

10.

A．adjusts

B．decreases

C．monitors

D．strengthens

11.

A．exhibited

B．developed

C．evaluated

D．concealed

12.

A．separating

B．dominating

C．assembling

D．maintaining

13.

A．establish

B．resolve

C．analyze

D．estimate

14.

A．challenging

B．moderate

C．healthful

D．supportive

15.

A．doubtfully

B．necessarily

C．questionably

D．fortunately

5 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need

A. potentially       B. results       C. rewards       D. sensitive       E. survival        F. transmit       G. distinguish       H. responding       I. developed       J. conscious       K. rapidly

Sense of smell is our most rapid warning system

“The human avoidance response to unpleasant smells associated with danger has long been seen as a    1     perceivable process, but our study shows for the first time that it’s unconscious and extremely rapid,” says the study’s first author Behzad Iravani, researcher at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet.

The organ relating to the sense of smell takes up about five per cent of the human brain and enables us to    2    between many million different smells. A large proportion of these smells are associated with a threat to our health and    3    , such as that of chemicals and rotten food. Smell signals reach the brain within 100 to 150 milliseconds after being breathed in through the nose.

The survival of all living organisms depends on their ability to avoid danger and seek    4    . In humans, the smell sense seems particularly important for detecting and reacting to    5    harmful substance.

It has long been a mystery just which sensory systems are involved in the change of an unpleasant smell into avoidance behavior in humans. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now    6    a method that for the first time has made it possible to measure signals from the human smell organ, which processes smells and in turn can    7    signals to parts of the brain that control movement and avoidance behavior.

Their    8     are based on three experiments in which participants were asked to rate their   experience of six different smells, some positive, some negative, while the electrophysiological activity of the smell organ when    9    to each of the smells was measured.

“It was clear that the organ reacts specifically and    10    to negative smells and sends a direct signal to the outer layer of the organ within about 300 ms,” says the study’s last author Johan Lundström. ” The signal causes the person to unconsciously lean back and away from the source of the smell.”

6 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Rising To the Challenge

Cyclists must dig deep to complete what’s been called the toughest climb in the world. They race up to Wuling Peak to the finish line in the King of the Mountain (KOM) Challenge. Every October some of the world’s best cyclists battle     1    the title. Starting at sea level, the route climbs to   a height of 3, 275 meters at the end, covering 105 kilometers.

Ever since I started cycling seven years ago, completing the KOM climb     2     (be) a goal of mine. Every year I thought that I needed to prepare for it and used that as my excuse. But     3     (look) back, I realize I would have been fine. Cycling uphill was no problem for me then- it was thrilling. Now it’s exhausting.

Last summer I finally decided to take on Wuling with some friends. Our 89-kilometer route started at the base of the mountain and was a little shorter than the official KOM race. But it’s the final 10 kilometers     4    are the most demanding: This is the steepest part,     5    makes the climb so hard.

We began early in the morning as a group of 17 riders. But only three of us would make it to the top. A support car was necessary, especially on a ride like this,     6     (help) keep us energetic.

The first part of the ride went through Taroko Valley, a magnificent park. I’ve hiked there,     7    I’ve always wanted to bike it. I saw dramatic rocky outcrops, canyons, waterfalls and forests as I zipped through the valley and up the mountain road. Even though it was August, the weather was perfect. Unfortunately, the support car that carried our lunch     8     (delay). By the time it arrived, I was starving. Being consumed of energy even for that short time affected the rest of my ride. When the hard last 10 kilometers arrived, I really struggled to complete them. At one point I     9     see how close the top of the peak was, but it still felt so far away. Fortunately, determination carried me to the finish.     10     (exhaust), I conquered Wuling! What a tremendous feeling!

7 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word: for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Walmart has a plan to tackle the climate crisis. Can it pull it off?

Every day a seemingly never-ending stream of toothbrushes, toilet paper, tape, thumbtacks, toys and     1       products criss-cross the globe from a network of suppliers to Walmart's more than 10,500 stores.

The retailer, which was for many years     2     (big) in the world until Amazon took

    3     crown in August, has a supply chain almost unfathomably complex. And it comes with a huge carbon-footprint. In 2019 the company emitted 17.56m metric tons of greenhouse gases.

Walmart has declared its mission     4     (tackle) these climate impacts, which means focusing on every part of the chain-from the electricity sourced in its stores to the palm oil in the candy bars sold on its shelves. But     5     some experts celebrate the scale of the retailer's efforts, others wonder whether they go far enough.

Over the past years, Walmart     6     (come) out with a slew of climate promises. In 2017, it launched "Project Gigaton", pledging to cut 1bn metric tons of carbon emissions from its supply chain by 2030. Last year it announced a goal to reach zero emissions from its global operations by 2040 without relying on carbon offsets - where companies "cancel out" some of their impact by funding projects that reduce carbon emissions. It's also promised to be a 100% renewably-powered, zero waste and "regenerative" corporation that does more good than harm.

"It's extraordinary," said Michael Vandenbergh, co-director of the Climate Change Research Network at Vanderbilt Law School,     7     we're talking about is one of the largest and most conservative companies in the world     8    (make) a range of commitments     9       government is not requiring them to make."

Yet it's an uphill task for a retail giant with a business model based on providing tens of millions of low-priced products to a growing number of customers. The big question will be     10     this type of business model can persist in a way that aligns with climate science, said Simon Fischweicher, head of corporations and supply chains for environmental nonprofit CDP North America.

8 . Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

In Europe, more than half of 100 designers employed in the car-making industry are art graduate. Carmakers such as Audi, Jaguar and Ford all have artists designing new cars for the future. It goes without saying that new models are incorporating the latest technology. However, increasingly the cars of tomorrow are designed with artistic styles. Nowadays, customers demand that their new cars look as up-to-date and fashionable as possible.

Artists are not only designing cars. Increasingly, art students are influencing modern architecture, including the designing of new buildings. Artists are also helping with the restoration of old buildings by using specialized techniques learnt at art school.

Interestingly, artists are also finding ways of making life easier for us. Recently, one young artist has received a design award for a lifting aid. The newly-designed aid is a simple supportive framework that helps people who care for the weak or sick to lift their patients more easily. Another art student has received an award for creating a revolutionary baby feeder. The artist invented a tool that allows parents to feed small children with only one hand.

The marriage between art and business is set to continue. Industry recognizes the importance and value of young artists designing for the future. As one art professor commented, “Today, people understand that problems can be solved using artists’ eyes.”

9 . A New Exhibition Explores the Science and Math in Children’s Book Illustrations

Think back to a favorite picture book, the one where the edges of the cover grew worn and a few pages loosened from the binding after so many readings. Perhaps it was the unfolding story or the vivid illustrations that enthralled a young you.     1    .

“Picture books are some of the first memories I have for looking at and understanding the world around me,” says J.D. Talasek, the director of the Cultural Programs of the National Academy of Sciences. But one doesn’t have to be a child to find delight and wonder in images from children’s books. That’s the premise behind a new exhibition, “Igniting the Imagination,” which opened this week at the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in Washington D.C.

The exhibition features 29 artworks from the collection of children’s book illustrations at the Mazza Museum, located at the University of Findlay in Ohio.     2    In one, an old gentleman wearing glasses and his companion, a young boy in a red T-shirt, lean to the side as they feel the centrifugal force of a rollercoaster’s curve. The man’s hat floats above and behind him, pushed off by the wind of his motion. In another, sea turtles appear to take off like a flock of sea-green-colored birds from a tower of pink, branching coral.

    3     The oldest is from Project Boy by Lois Lenski, published in 1954, and shows a group of children building a fort out of “junk.” The subjects range from the magic of math to the biology of a decaying log to the engineering of a skyscraper.

“The exhibit is framed through these disciplines, but it uses the power of art to help make broader connections to how inventions, practices and discoveries frame our experiences,” Talasek says.

The museum’s collection was born in 1982, as part of a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Findlay College, the university's predecessor institution. Jerry Mallett, a professor of education at the time, spearheaded the establishment of the children's book illustration collection.     4     The artworks include a diversity of styles and media.

A．What began as four pieces then has grown to more than 10,500 now through donations and acquisitions.

B．Most likely it was the view the book offered into a different world.

C．The illustrations come from books that span the past half-century.

D．In 1938, the American Library Association (ALA) began presenting annually the Caldecott Medal to the most distinguished children’s book illustration published in the year.

E．Each illustration explores the worlds of science, engineering or medicine.

F．Many wonderful free picture books for children are available to read, download, and print.

10 . “Walkability” linked to reduced hospital costs and admissions

​Neighborhoods designed to encourage people to walk to and from the shops and public transport will help reduce hospital costs and admissions linked to residents, new Canberra research shows.

The research project, from the University of Canberra’s Health Research Institute, has revealed a relationship between a suburb’s “walkability score” and a reduction in both hospital costs and admissions and added to the growing debate surrounding the role of “social determinants” in health outcomes.

Coauthors Dr. Yan Yu and Vincent Learnihan studied ACT Health data from 30,690 hospital admissions across 88 of the ACT’s suburbs, and then matched them against each suburb’s “walkability score”. That score is a measure of how easy it is to get around a particular suburb, including the number of interconnected streets, footpaths and the presence of shops, public transport stops, restaurants and services within walking distance of each other.

Dr. Yu said the study showed that those suburbs rated as “walkable”—with a walkability score of 20 units or more—were linked to a 12.1 per cent lower hospital cost for those residents and a 12.5 per cent lower rate of hospital admissions.

She said the admissions data they focused on included cancers, cardiovascular diseases, endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases and diabetes.

But the research also showed that in Canberra, some 80 per cent of all the city’s suburbs were still “car-dependent”, which Mr. Learnihan said showed more needed to be done to help encourage Canberrans to walk, ride and use public transport.

While Mr. Learnihan commended the ACT government’s existing “active travel” programs, he said the study showed that wider and better funded initiatives to improve the “walkability” of new and existing suburbs could help save on health costs and improve Canberrans’ quality of life.

Dr. Yu said such changes could be as simple as improving footpaths and bike paths, increasing public transport access and improving local shops.

1. The suburb’s “walkability score” depends on the following factors within the walking distance of each other EXCEPT ______.

A．the presence of shops	B．the presence of taxi stands
C．the number of interconnected streets	D．the number of interconnected footpaths

2. The underlined word “commended” in Paragraph 7 probably means ______.

A．praised	B．abandoned
C．transformed	D．conducted

3. We can learn from the passage that ______.

A．the suburb with a walkability score of 12.5 units can be rated as “walkable”

B．a majority of Canberrans walk, ride and use public transport to and from work

C．admissions data researchers focused on included different kinds of disease

D．footpaths and bike paths in the suburbs of Canberra are far from satisfactory

4. What will probably happen in the future？

A．There will be fewer cars in Canberra.

B．Canberrans will have easier access to public hospitals.

C．The word “walkability” will be included in the authoritative dictionary.

D．“Walkability” of new and existing suburbs in Canberra will be improved.